Tensions rise as the CMC Enforcement Squad fights with traders.

Tensions rise as the CMC Enforcement Squad fights with traders.

cuttack: 04/11/2023: A recent development involved a combative altercation between vendors and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation’s (CMC) enforcement team at the busy marketplace of Chhatrabazar in Cuttack. When the CMC enforcement team began an operation on a Saturday to remove merchants operating on the verandahs of market godowns, conflict broke out.

As part of an attempt to vacate the area, market vendors have complained that the CMC enforcement unit used force to seize their products. The tension in Chhatrabazar is particularly noticeable since it started right after the CMC inaugurated the “Urban Haat,” a place where roadside vendors may sell their veggies on concrete stands called “pindis.”

One dealer said, “The people from the enforcement squad came over and inquired as to why we were seated here. They also removed our merchandise.” According to a different seller, Chhatrabazar’s history dates back a millennia, when their forefathers made a living by peddling vegetables and other items by the side of the road. They contend that while the conventional marketplace is more profitable, individuals who sell produce at the recently opened Urban Haat are having difficulties running their enterprises.

Many of the vendors are adamantly refusing to move to the Urban Haat, an initiative started by the local government. “At whatever costs, our market will not be moved. The amenities offered at the recently established apartment are not what we require. We’re not going to relocate there,” said a more merchant.

There is now tension and anxiety in Chhatrabazar in Cuttack as a result of the CMC enforcement squad officers’ lack of response to the traders’ accusations.